A competition will be held for one of New York Jets’ defensive starting roles
Speaking to the media at New York Jets OTAs on Tuesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh revealed the team will be holding an “open competition” for one of its starting roles on defense.
Saleh stated that safeties Chuck Clark, Tony Adams, and Ashtyn Davis will be competing for the Jets’ starting spots at safety.
There’s an open competition at safety, Saleh says. Chuck Clark is back to full participation. So it’s Clark vs. Adams vs. Davis. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 21, 2024
Clark was on track to be a starter for the Jets in 2023 until a June ACL tear ended his season. The Jets re-signed him this offseason to a one-year, $2 million deal with $705K guaranteed. The 29-year-old played his first six seasons with the Ravens, appearing in 96 games with 63 starts.
Adams started all 15 of his appearances for the Jets in 2023. The 2022 undrafted free agent from Illinois impressed the team enough to win an opening-week starting job and maintained the role throughout the season, although his performance was up and down. While Adams displayed promise, it appears the Jets didn’t see enough to guarantee him a starting spot in 2024.
Davis played in 17 games for the Jets last year. He was a core piece on special teams and handled a situational role on defense, averaging only 12.8 defensive snaps per game (playing 19% of the defensive snaps). The Jets usually deployed Davis around the line of scrimmage. He enjoyed a wildly productive year in his small role, racking up three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, three tackles for loss, and eight passes defended in just 217 defensive snaps.
The Jets re-signed Davis this offseason to a one-year deal worth $2.74 million, although his cap hit is only $1.29 million. He received $167.5K guaranteed.
